Wireless communication devices (i.e., cellular phones, digital wireless phones, wireless terminals, etc.) communicate with base-stations using radio-frequency (RF) transmissions. Wireless communication devices emit electromagnetic energy from the antennas and backlights or other components and hence can exhibit a relatively strong electromagnetic (EM) field. In particular, RF transmissions from antennas can cause EM fields to radiate around the wireless communication device that can sometimes interfere with other electrical devices operating nearby.
For instance, emissions from a wireless communication device can interfere with operation of a hearing aid (or cochlear implant). Such emissions are undesirable since they are rectified by the hearing aid causing a hum, whistle or buzzing sound to be emitted by the hearing aid's speaker. When the user of a hearing aid experiences such interference this makes it difficult or impossible for them to hear conversations taking place over the wireless communication device. In this regard, manufacturers of digital wireless communication devices will soon be obliged to produce digital wireless communication devices for the hearing impaired. For example, in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently modified the previous exemption to the Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) Act of 1988 and established rules for the hearing aid compatibility of digital wireless telephones. Specifically, the FCC required that that digital wireless telephone manufacturers and digital wireless service providers make certain numbers of models or percentages of all digital wireless phones accessible to individuals who use hearing aids. Wireless phones which meet this new requirement are sometimes referred to as HAC-compliant terminals.
Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce the incidence of an electric near-field generated by a digital wireless communication device against a hearing aid to thereby reduce or mitigate undesirable signal interference with hearing aid components when in use, and thus provide improved digital wireless communication equipment that are HAC-compliant. It is also desirable to provide digital wireless communication devices that control near-field emissions absorbed by a user of a wireless communication device to comply with Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) requirements set for wireless communication devices by various government entities. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.